


press and hold to record

by fleury



Category: Tiny Meat Gang (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:30:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19663621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleury/pseuds/fleury
Summary: “You’re gonna document this entire trip?” Noel asks from the driver’s seat, and Cody turns his head to look at him, moving his phone to catch him focused on the road.“All the way to the Grand Canyon, baby.“





	press and hold to record

**Author's Note:**

> i’ve never actually been to the grand canyon but if anyone wants to take me i won’t complain :~)
> 
> sidenote: did some handwaving with the starting location of the road trip!! let’s just go with somewhere in new england!

The iPhone camera’s a little gritty, and Cody isn’t holding it straight, too busy staring out the car window through his own two eyes, but he’s still catching most of the scenery on tape, even if it’s slanted and shaking more than it should be.

“You’re gonna document this entire trip?” Noel asks from the driver’s seat, and Cody turns his head to look at him, moving his phone to catch him focused on the road. 

“All the way to the Grand Canyon, baby. Plus, need something to do,” he answers, giving his camera a tour of his cramped pickup, including the bags in the back seat. “And we’ll look back at this when we’re, like, 50 or something and laugh about it.”

“Yeah? Sounds great. So, just checking in, you’re actually gonna trust yourself to keep your phone intact for the next 30 years.” Noel rolls his eyes and Cody zooms in on his face to catch it.

He flips his phone around to make a dissatisfied face at the camera. “You’re gonna eat your words when I show this tape at your wedding.”

“That’s what you’re planning on doing with it?” Noel glances over at him and laughs, breathy. “Get my good side.”

“What good side?”

“You’re right,” he says, tapping his fingers against the wheel. “Get any side, they’re all good.”

Cody scoffs, but he keeps the camera on Noel until a bird steals his fleeting attention. “Cocky bastard.”

“Hey, rude. You’re the one shoving the camera in my face. You gonna make a documentary and expose me for the asshole I am?”

Cody steadies his elbow on the arm rest so his phone doesn’t shake as much. “You crossed that bridge way long ago, I’d get flagged for copyright.” They run over a pothole and he nearly drops it. 

“Shit.”

“You’re so bad at driving, pull over I’m taking the wheel.”

“ _Shut up_ , it’s literally been 2 minutes. You’d get us both killed.”

Cody stomps down the urge to smack his arm, because then he’d really get them killed. He huffs and sits back, staring down the oddly shaped clouds in the distance. “Would not.”

“Would too.” He’s grinning, Cody likes that grin, as much as he won’t admit it, so he makes sure to get it on film. “Plus, who would record your dumb video then?”

“It is _not_ a dumb video, it’s our memories. It’s my livelihood.”

“I hate you so much,” he laughs.

They pull into the freeway and Cody stuffs his phone into the glove compartment.

+

“Uh, yeah, can I get that with two sugars?” 

Cody keeps his phone low so the lady behind the counter doesn’t suspect anything, but the second Noel steps off to the side to grab his coffee, he makes sure to get a beauty shot of him making a face at his piping hot drink. 

He slides a sleeve over the cup and sticks his tongue out at the camera. “We had to make a stop because Cody can’t survive without anything sugary for less than two seconds.”

Cody makes a noise in protest, holding his Tim Hortons pastry bag in front of the phone for a beat. “The donuts here are fucking good, don’t be an ass,” he tells him.

“You didn’t even get anything to drink.”

“I said the _donuts_ are good.”

Noel frowns. “That’s coffee-shaming.”

“Sounds serious.” He raises a hand in defence, the one with the donut.

“Adding ‘shaming’ to the end of anything makes it sound serious, like.” Noel shrugs, looking the room over. “I could probably sue you or something.”

“I wish,” Cody says, fake mournfully.

They start walking towards the door and he tips the camera down to record their shoes. Noel’s laces are untied. He really could give less of a shit, but there’s also that plus of getting on Noel’s nerves, so. “You’re gonna fall on your face,” he says.

Noel hums, lifting his cup of coffee in Cody’s direction. “Make sure you catch that on film.”

Cody decides this is probably a better time than ever to get to his donut.

*

The sunset doesn’t look as pretty on his phone screen as it does through his eyes, especially from behind the car window. The deep hues of purple melting into vibrant pinks fade into something gritty and blurred through the camera. There’s really no hope, not without investing in something professional, but it’s not like the moment is special enough to capture anyways. He gets to see sunsets everyday, this one is just looming over water. 

“Hey, wanna play iSpy?” He suggests, flipping his phone so the camera can catch his shit-eating grin. He doesn’t miss Noel’s exasperated expression either. _That’s_ something worth recording. And his hand might be a little shaky, sure, but it’s still easier to pick up than the sunset.

“Do I wanna play iSpy?” He scoffs. “Okay, I spy with my little eye, a five year old.”

Instead of feigning offence, he keeps his smile going strong. “Dude, you can’t spy yourself.”

“I _wasn’t_.”

“If anyone’s the five year old it’s you. You need, like, pillows to be able to see over the dash,” Cody says, playfully zooming in and out of the dashboard. He keeps pinching the screen until his fingers slip up.

“Okay, _woah_.” Noel flips him off with one hand, keeping the other one locked on the wheel. “You’re one to talk.”

Cody grins. “Okay, wait, I spy with my little eye, uh, something that’s blue.”

“The sky?” Noel asks, his eyes flitting upwards. 

Cody scratches the back of his neck. There’s not a lot to _spy_ out here. Nothing but grass and water. “Pretty much.”

“You suck at this.” 

They pull up at a gas station a few minutes later, and Noel insists it’s Cody’s turn to drive.

+

They get an extraordinarily late dinner in a lakefront town, and it’s freezing even while the air is sickeningly humid. His phone can’t pick up the weather, and Cody’s half glad it can’t, because it’s suffocating. He wonders if the places around here ever get so much as a breeze.

Noel eats his fries like he hasn’t seen food in years, and Cody can relate spiritually, he was on the verge of passing out before they pulled over. He’s not sure why sitting for hours on end takes so much out of a person, but it _does_ , and even when he stands up, all he wants to do is slump down again. 

He has to stop recording to take a look at the directions, and he tells Noel as much, but when it’s back on, he tries to film a moth flying around outside. 

The lighting is all wrong and there’s a glare on the window, but the blur he gets is enough. 

“How much farther is Ohio?” Noel asks when he’s got the colour drained back into his features. Cody hums, trekking through his memory. Everything’s a haze, especially with the lack of energy he’s getting, but he manages.

“Like, two hours. We gonna survive?” 

“My stomach feels like it’s gonna try and kill itself, but we should be good.” Noel reaches for a napkin while Cody finishes off the rest of his sandwich. He tears the paper up into pieces, and then rolls those pieces into little ovals. It’s a whole process he’s got going for him.

“You think?” Cody lifts his phone to catch the tired smile on Noel’s face, tells himself that his urge to film it came purely from the idea of having it as a snapshot for a birthday post or something. But. He doesn’t do a very good job convincing himself.

Noel doesn’t look into the camera, just stares off at the rest of the tables. There’s a flickering light on the far end of the place. Cody wants to turn around to record it, but he also doesn’t wanna come off shady to the employees

“I _know_ , trust. Just lemme drive. You can pass out in the backseat.”

“An ally.” Cody smiles and balls up the wrapping that came with his sandwich. “Then let’s do this.”

+

Noel’s leaning into his side when they check into the hotel, sleepy and practically passed out with a duffle slung over his shoulder. Cody handles checking in.

His hands are occupied, signing papers and holding onto his own bag, but his phone is still rolling in his back pocket, capturing the meaningless conversation between him and the receptionist. 

The lobby smells like pool water, but it’s not like the camera can pick that up.

+

“You gonna shower?” Cody asks, when they get in their room. There are two double beds, which is what he’d asked for, but Noel is so fucking sleepy and dazed out against him, it feels nice to have him there. Solid. They aren’t gonna cuddle or anything, it’s not buddies, but he’s going to treasure this while he’s got it.

“Fuck that,” he mumbles, and drops his bag. He kicks off his shoes while he’s making his way to his choice of the beds, the one on the far end, closer to the big window on the wall. 

Cody unpockets his phone and watches him fall face first onto his pillow. The camera shakes as he laughs. “You’re so gross,” he says, and leaves everything for the bathroom.

+

Noel’s always the grouchiest early in the mornings, and Cody knows that well. A little too well, with him waving his phone in his face knowing he’s gonna get it smacked out of his hand. “How’d you sleep?” He asks, and Noel’s still squinting at him from under his covers.

He shifts a little, waving Cody away. When he doesn’t go, he reluctantly says, “Good. Probably better if you were gone.”

“Aw, you don’t mean that.” 

Noel twists around onto his side. Cody’s a dick, but he’s not so much of a dick that he went out of his way to draw back the curtains. Early in the morning, that’s nothing but a dick move. Deserving of the death penalty and everything. 

“Yes, I _do_. Leave me alone.” 

Cody can see the muscles on his back shift when he rolls his shoulder, and they’re unfairly prominent, almost like they’re mocking him. Telling him he can’t touch. Fucking— he’ll show them.

Shit. It’s too early for this.

“There’s a continental breakfast downstairs,” he says, to fill in the silence only he finds awkward. Because Noel’s definitely in that hazy zone between asleep and on the verge of punching him in the face.

“Good for them,” Noel murmurs dismissively.

Cody crosses his legs on the bed — on Noel’s bed. “Good for _who?_ ”

There’s a pause. “The hotel guests? The food? I don’t know.”

“You think food likes being eaten?” 

“ _I_ think you should go eat.”

“Not without you.” Cody huffs, making sure to embellish it enough to really drive his point home. As long as it irks Noel, he’ll call it a success. 

“Just five more minutes, c’mon.” He flops onto his back again, staring up at Cody with that same squinty eyed look he’d been making when Cody held his alarm right in his face. “I did literally all the driving yesterday.”

“You did three quarters.” 

“That means I get three quarters of the sleeping time,” Noel says, blinking like the soft lighting from the lamp is burning his goddamn retinas. “ _Please_.”

Cody frowns, and Noel rolls his eyes. They stay like that for a few moments, and Cody watches an entire hurricane of emotions roll over Noel’s features — all five stages of grief. 

“Cody,” he says it like it’s a plead, and then, “Fine.”

Cody finds it perfectly appropriate to cheer, even if Noel looks dead as he props himself up. “But I’m gonna shower first,” he adds, and Cody stops. 

“But the charm of hotel breakfasts is feeling like a zombie while you eat fancy toast.”

“I don’t give a shit about the charm. It’s too early for your,” he waves his hand around, “ _you_.”

“Wow.” Cody zooms in on Noel’s face for comedic relief, he guesses, but it’s mostly for the small quirk in his lips. “Don’t make that face at me, you didn’t win. I got you out of bed.“

“Yeah, but who’s taking a shower?” 

Cody scoffs and preoccupies himself with his phone while Noel rifles through his duffle. He’s probably never going to be used to the idea of Noel showering on the other side of the wall. It gets, like, knots all up in his chest.

The recording cuts out when his phone rings.

+

“Who was calling you?” Noel asks, drying his hair with a towel. Cody’s completely fucked over when he tosses it at him, and all he gets in return is a smile and the perfect angle of fluffy hair. It’s not fair how good it looks while it’s drying, and the room is too dim for his phone to pick up the soft edge to it, but he tries anyways.

“My mom,” he says, and shrugs. “She was asking me if we’d made it safely.”

Noel smiles. “That’s nice.“

“She probably thinks you’re a serial killer or something.”

“Shut up.” He laughs, bright and bubbly and way cheerier than he’d been before his shower. Maybe letting Noel take his anger out on the soap was a good idea. 

“Do your parents even know where you are?” Cody asks, grabbing his keycard off the coffee table. He shows it off to the phone, mostly because there’s a bear on it.

“Of course. I’m _responsible_.”

“Responsible my ass,” he jokes, and ignores the gasp that comes from Noel to wave him over. “Breakfast, c’mon.”

“Who lit a fire under your ass?” He stuffs a hand in the pocket of his sweatpants, which look very fucking comfy, thank you. He clicks the door shut behind him while Cody definitely _doesn’t_ stare. 

Looking at pretty things and filming is really difficult, he realizes. 

“Your mom,” he replies, half out of it. It’s a lazy comeback, he knows it, and Noel’s face does this _I’m not mad, just disappointed_ thing. Cody bites back a laugh. 

“Turn that off,” He says, gesturing towards the phone. “You’re gonna freak someone out.”

“Fine.”

+

The breakfast is really fucking good, and Cody makes Noel a waffle that he practically drowns in maple syrup.

It’s not good for either of them, but it’s worth it for the little twinkle in Noel’s eyes. He’s in his element around swanky breakfast food, it turns out. Cody’s mostly judging it by the careful way he plucks apart his carrot muffin, but hey. To each his own. 

The room is empty enough that Cody gets away with recording their conversation about siblings, which they both agree are hell spawn. Sweet, loveable, hell spawn. That’s probably a clip he won’t get to show off, unless he wants to take a shoe to the face, but he’s going to keep it anyways. Just because of how delighted Noel looked to be there, with _him_. Cody’s doesn’t think about it.

+

“What do you wanna do?” Noel asks, when they’re headed to their hotel room. They’re somewhere in Ohio, carefully out of reach from Columbus, so Cody’s really not the person to ask.

“Dunno. We can stare at the sky. Cows, maybe.” He’s kidding, but he figures a google search is in order once they get back to their room anyway.

Noel’s quiet for a beat. “How about a zoo?” 

“You’d be into that?” Cody grins at him, helplessly endeared. 

“I mean, yeah. Animals are cool.” Noel smiles back, something calmer. But he still looks excited, like the promise of a zoo sends him back. Cody’s gonna melt if he has to see Noel in the same room as, like, a baby deer.

“You’re so eloquent.”

“Cool _and_ interesting,” he goes on, like it makes any more of a difference. “You know I don’t know anything about the States, google something.”

“What’s the magic word?” Cody teases him, feeling the corners of his lips twitching. 

“Seriously?” He looks incredulous, like Cody’s just made the wildest request. Which might just be somewhat accurate.

“Dead serious,” he says as they step into the elevator, hitting the _4_ as soon as he can — because the thing is empty. “Think I’m playing around?” 

“Go to hell.” 

“Wrong.”

“Please,” Noel mumbles, just low enough that Cody barely catches it. But still.

He cups a hand around his ear. “What was that?” 

“You’re really out to get me, huh?”

It takes a minute of pestering, but Noel finally cracks, looking only mildly reluctant. Cody feels warm all over.

+

“Holy shit,” Noel marvels, pressing up against the glass to his exhibit of choice. “Are you filming this?” 

“Duh,” Cody says, finally prying his camera off Noel to actually catch the snub-nosed monkeys swinging around wildly. It’s cute, whatever, but Cody still catches himself watching how fucking invested Noel is in them. 

He’s squinting in the sunlight, but standing just so that the ray hits only the side of his face. His hair is all dreamy and Cody wants to touch, but—

“That one looks like Devon,” he points out, gesturing to one of them. Noel stares for a moment, like he’s trying to process it, and then he cracks up. It’s contagious.

“You’re so _mean_ ,” he says, but he’s still fighting back chuckles. 

“Don’t hate me because I’m right.” Cody’s got a weakness for Noel’s laugh, and he knows he’s digging himself a grave making stupid jokes, but some things are worth certain death. 

“Get a close-up, I think it’s beautiful.”

“You have terrible taste.”

Noel shoves at him good-naturedly and Cody hip checks him back. 

+

If anything is a death-wish, it’s Noel completely awestruck in the butterfly house. Cody makes mistakes, sure, but he’s trying to maintain some sense of his dignity. And, to be completely frank, he’s already losing it.

Noel’s completely swept up in watching the vividly coloured butterflies perched on the oranges, so much so that he doesn’t so much as react when one with baby blue wings floats down onto his head. 

Cody snickers behind his phone, but he’s just as effected by the sight of _that_ as Noel is when it comes to the monarchs. 

“Don’t move,” he stage-whispers, and it doesn’t work, because Noel looks towards him almost instantaneously. 

“What?” He asks, still not heeding the whole _don’t move_ thing. The butterfly soars off. 

“You had one of ‘em sitting on your head,” Cody says, reaching out to mess up his hair. 

Noel lets him do it, staring with wide eyes. “No way.”

“Yes way.”

“Did you get it on your diary thing?” He asks, pointing to Cody’s phone.

“It’s not a diary.” It’s really not, it’s more of a documentary. Just something so he can relive this later on. “You better believe I did. I deserve a grammy.”

“Well, if you can get your hand to stop shaking while you’re recording, maybe.”

“It’s for the aesthetic,” Cody insists. He’s got the lightest grasp on what that even means, and Noel’s staring at him like he’s in the exact same boat.

“The what?”

Cody skips explaining, instead he links his arm around Noel’s and leads him towards the gift shop at the end of the exhibit. “I’m gonna buy you a cool keychain.”

Noel whines, “I don’t want a keychain.” But the second he steps foot in the shop, his unwillingness immediately wears away. He looks like a kid in a candy shop. 

“Wanna get a postcard?” Cody asks, pulling his arm free, as much as he doesn’t want to. 

“For who?” 

“I’m not your only only friend,” he says, laughing. “It’s a nice gesture.”

Noel purses his lips, staring thoughtfully at the hideously colourful gift cards at the back of the shop. They don’t look like anything Cody would ever attach his name to either, so he gets why Noel immediately shoots the idea down.

“You know what would be a nice gesture?” Noel asks, walking towards the clothing rack. Cody immediately regrets ever dragging him in here.

“No, I change my mind—“

“Wait, wait, I won’t be a dick I promise,” he says, fishing through the shirts before pulling out a black crew neck with butterflies spilled across the back. Cody winces. 

“Noel, no.”

But he looks long gone, ogling the sweater before looking at Cody like he’s sizing him up. “This would fit you perfectly.”

“No, it would not,” he tries to keep his tone serious, but Noel’s all proud of his selection, looking lustrous with joy from bottom to top. Shit happens.

“It would and you know it.”

“Would it, though?”

“Shut up.” It’s what Noel says whenever he can’t think up a good enough comeback, and Cody’s about to give him a hard time for it, but he’s already walking towards the register.

“Hey, _no_ ,” he says, chasing after him.

“It’s on the house.” Noel grins. “You’ll look cute.”

Cody’s about to protest, but the cashier is staring at both of them like they’re talking some foreign language. So Cody drops it and makes his way back towards the rack, picking up something equally as embarrassing for Noel.

+

Noel gushes over his stupid hoodie way more than Cody had intended when he bought it. The pink butterfly varsity stripes didn’t deter him apparently, especially judging by how quickly he throws it on once they get back to their hotel room. 

“Ohio’s not as bad as you were saying,” he says, sitting down on his bed with a small sigh. “I had fun.”

“Sure.” Cody lies down next to him, flipping his phone so he can shrug at the camera. “If you think Ohio’s fun, I can’t wait ‘til we get to Arizona.”

“Mhm,” Noel hums, flopping down right next to him. He turns his head and smiles, tired and lazy, Cody doubts he knows it’s there. “You’re driving first tomorrow.”

“But—“

“Your movie can wait,” he interrupts, grinning cheekily at the camera when Cody points it at him. 

“Whatever, your loss.”

“I’m devastated,” he deadpans.

Cody squeezes his fingers together to fight off the urge to touch his hair again. It shouldn’t be this hard — to not want that. But Noel’s dangerously close. He should know not to do that. “You still wanna get dinner?” 

Noel nods, yawning. “Why can’t we just order in?” 

“Get off your ass.”

+

They find a quaint little pizza place to eat at. It’s small, maybe family-owned.

“I’m literally gonna eat the entire restaurant,” Noel announces, peeking out from behind his menu. 

The light dangling from the ceiling above them is dim, and the shadows that fall across his face make Cody bite his tongue before he blurts something about just how perfectly cut his cheekbones look. It’s just not— is that bros? 

Cody guffaws, folding up his menu and setting it down between them. “Please don’t. I don’t wanna have to deal with that.”

“I can handle it on my own,” he waves his hand like he’s really serious about ordering everything. “Worry about yourself, Cody.”

“What’re you even getting?”

Noel shrugs one shoulder, still scanning his menu. “Food. Stuff.”

Cody suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. He’s gonna strain them if he does it too often, which he definitely does. It’s how he shows his affection is all. “Tell that to the waiter.”

+

“I’m so tired.” Noel groans, and Cody’s got so much footage of him just launching himself into bed, but, really, it never gets old.

“Go to sleep then,” he says drily. 

“I wanna see the ocean,” Noel interjects, smiling carelessly at him, completely unaware of just how much that smile works Cody up. 

“We’re in Ohio, you tell me where the fuck we’re gonna see the ocean.”

“Directions are your job, not mine.” Noel lifts his head just enough that his pillow doesn’t muffle his words. Cody wonders if Noel really thinks he can get to the ocean from here. 

“I’ll take you to California someday and you can see all the ocean you want,” he promises, holding out his pinky finger.

Noel takes it and Cody tags that as a W.

+

In a blur of his alarm going off enough times for Cody to permanently damage the snooze button, they throw their stuff together and get ready to leave for the road. It’s 9 AM and Cody still can’t help but nearly fall over at the thought of having to get up _now_.

Noel’s put his shirt on backwards like three times now and Cody’s convinced he’s just gonna try to make that work. 

“We have 15 minutes, hurry up.”

Noel shoots him a look of immense displeasure, and Cody thinks he’s gonna pass out right on the spot.

+

He hates being up early, he hates _driving_ early, but he’s gotta do both if they’re gonna get to Missouri before the sun sets. Cody could be literally anywhere else and he’d be happier, but anywhere else probably wouldn’t have Noel, so. 

That’s probably something he should discuss with himself, but he just cranks up the radio a little louder and keeps his eyes on the road.

“Hey,” Noel says.

“Yeah?”

“What’s your phone’s password?” It’s a little bit of a nosey question, but Cody’s not going to poke at something that doesn’t bother him. Noel wanting to know something like that should irritate him, but it _doesn’t_.

“Why?” He doesn’t glance over at first, but when he does, he sees Noel pointing his phone right in his direction. “Are you — are you recording?” 

Noel’s face twitches up into some cross between excited and pissy. “1-2-3-4? Really?” 

“It’s easy to remember,” he snaps back, but he doesn’t reach for his phone because he’s not about to drive his truck off the road. That’s probably the last thing he wants actual footage of. “I never gave you permission to go on my phone.”

“I’m living out your legacy,” Noel insists. “Your diary shit.”

“It’s _not_ a diary.”

“You sound like my little cousins.” He smiles out the window. Cody really wishes he could see more than a glimpse of it. 

“This is boring.” Noel announces after a while.

“Nice.”

“We’re switching, pull over.” 

Cody makes a noise of disbelief, shooting Noel a look like _what, are you fucking kidding me?_ “You said you didn’t wanna drive first.”

“I didn’t realize how boring just sitting here is,” he whines, and whips out those extra sweet puppy-dog eyes, just to get his way. Like he has to beg Cody. Like Cody can deny him anything. 

+

“Are you getting this?!” Noel asks, flailing his arms wildly.

There’s an old ass tree in the parking lot of their hotel, and Noel insisting on climbing it is probably the last thing Cody would’ve expected. 

So he’s hanging upside down off a branch and he’s going to fucking fall. Cody isn’t sure why he doesn’t have emergency services on speed dial, but this is probably a sign he should get on that.

“Are your final words really going to be ‘are you getting this’?” He asks, laughing when Noel sticks his tongue out. His face is bright red, which is something Cody shouldn’t be focusing on, but it looks like flowers are going to bloom out of his cheeks. It gets to him, okay? He’s only human.

“Not my final words,” he corrects. “I’ve climbed trees before, you asshole.”

“You’re barely hanging on,” Cody points out. Despite everything, he really is concerned. There’s no way he’s gonna be titled as the better player between both of them because Noel fell off a tree.

And, even worse, Noel’s shirt is riding up. Cody’s not watching that, really, but it’s there. And it’s a _lot_ of skin Noel apparently doesn’t mind showing off. So, free entertainment. Not _that_ kind of entertainment, but— fuck.

Noel makes a face, one that’s supposed to be frustration, but it’s all too cute to even touch that. It’s a usual exchange between both of them, and Cody stands his ground, puckering his forehead. 

“Fine, mom.” Noel eventually pulls up to sit on the branch.

He gets a chance to look at the gnarled roots now that Noel’s not trying to drive him absolutely wild. It’s odd, being this close to something that looks straight out of a fairytale. Like he’s gonna turn around and a witch is gonna invite him to cookies and tea at her place.

“Think you’re gonna come down anytime soon?” He asks, sitting down on one of the roots. It’s prickly, but a pretty cool experience. Like, how many times can anyone else say they’ve sat on a tree that looks enchanted. Probably not too many.

“Lemme think about it,” Noel says. Pauses. “Nope.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“Are you really?” 

Cody stupidly wasn’t expecting the challenge, so he just gapes for a moment, trying to scramble through his head for something. “Noel. Down, boy,” he orders, snapping his fingers and pointing at the ground.

Noel looks at him, playfully swinging his legs. “Make me.”

Cody perks up at the challenge. “You fucker—“ And he sets his phone down.

+

Filming Noel brushing his teeth might be the dumbest shit he could ever pull, and Noel says as much, but he looks completely out of it. He’s rocking this tousled bedhead, and Cody’s already a goner for his hair, so he’s hooked on that.

He’s spent the last four minutes talking about just how fucking _hot_ the Grand Canyon looks at night — because Noel insists five minutes is optimum time for teeth brushing — and Noel’s been humming along, sleepy and dazed. 

“We’ll go at night, then,” he says, once he’s got his mouth rinsed out. He walks out of the bathroom and Cody follows.

“Yeah? You wanna?” 

“You’re making it sound like heaven on earth, _of course_.”

Cody grins, and Noel’s grinning back, pearly whites and all. Makes sense. He bumps their shoulders together. “Hell yeah, you wanna head out?” 

Noel opens his mouth, closes it, and rubs his eye. “In, like, three minutes,” he insists, and buries his face in his pillow. “Promise.”

Three minutes turns into a full blown nap, and Cody takes a surprisingly short amount of time to pass out right beside him. 

+

He only wears his butterfly crew neck because it makes Noel break out into a grin that splits his face like a jack-o’-lantern.

“Aw, you love it,” he teases, nudging him when Cody looks himself in the mirror. It’s not bad, it’s just—

“Business in the front, party in the back,” Noel adds, taking a step back to check out he butterflies. Cody feels his face burn up. “Gimme your phone so I can get it on film. You don’t wanna miss this.”

“You’re so full of shit.”

Noel smiles, confident with the charm teetering on breathtaking. “Like I said, you love it. You came out here with me didn’t you?”

Cody gives up.

+

He’s recording a small train go by right in front of a coffee shop when Noel jumps in front of the shot, posing against the railing.

The train is slow, practically tiny, and close enough to skim your fingers across. Cody assumes it’s not enough of a hazard to show any real concern.

“Big fan of the camera now, huh?” He kids, and Noel laughs, craning his neck to look up at the train. 

His laugh goes aloof, wearing thin as he stares a little harder. “Is this supposed to be an attraction?”

“Who knows.” Cody shrugs, and Noel watches him carefully. 

“I’ll seriously never understand half the tourist attractions we see,” he says.

“Oh, ditto.”

“Hey, wait.” Noel holds up a hand, and the train eventually passes. Cody stands perfectly still until it does, and _when_ it does Noel hops over the railing. 

“You’re really trying to get yourself killed,” Cody jokes, glancing from side to side to make sure Noel’s not gonna get flattened. 

“Exactly.”

“And you’re gonna frame me for your murder,” he adds. 

“Shoot, you figured me out,” Noel says, drowning in sarcasm. “Here, get pictures.”

“What are you—“ Cody watches him sit down on the tracks, and scrubs a hand over his face, making a cynical expression at the camera. “I can’t believe you.” 

“I can’t believe _you_.” Noel says. “How’s the weather up there?” He’s one wise-crack away from getting run over so Cody swipes out of video-mode before he can.

+

Noel buys a candy bar from a convenience store on some random street corner and the cashier stares at them for so long Cody thinks he’s got something on his face. But she never says anything, so he might be wrong.

Or it might be because Cody’s waving his phone around like a lunatic. It _might_ be that.

“You’re so obnoxious,” Noel says when they step out. As if Cody doesn’t already know that. He fucking owns it at this point.

“Isn’t that why you find me so irresistible?” He wiggles his eyebrows ridiculously, and Noel thoroughly ignores him to split his candy bar in half.

“Shut up and eat this,” he says, holding out the piece.

+

One thing Cody’s learned on their trip is that Noel sleeps shirtless. It’s enough to drive him crazy, seeing him casually peel off his top after an afternoon of fucking around outside. Even after a few days, he’s never actually gonna adapt to that. Not with how low he wears his sweats, like he _knows_ Cody stares.

He’s either a massive tease or pleasantly oblivious, and Cody doesn’t wanna make a wrong move just to find out which one. 

+

They’re lounging around when Noel turns to him, in his shirtless glory, and goes, “Wanna get shitfaced?” It’s completely out of the blue, they were talking about concerts two seconds earlier.

“I don’t— huh?” Cody blinks. “Neither of us are gonna wanna drive with a hangover.”

Noel looks like he’s really set on this, it makes sense. Becoming legal in the States takes longer than it should, so taking advantage sounds like more than a good idea. But, they’re leaving tomorrow.

“I’ll drive hungover, I don’t care,” Noel adds, a little more insistent. Cody can’t deny him, especially not with the bar being an elevator ride away. “We can leave late in the afternoon, make it to Amarillo by midnight.”

“You sure?” Noel nods and he mulls it over in his head. “Yeah, okay. Put on a shirt, Prince Charming.”

Noel’s practically bouncing off the walls, even as Cody throws a sweater at him. It’s fucking precious, his heart’s melting again. 

Cody’s not sure if he’s even at the point where he can handle Noel _sober_ , so this is gonna be an experience. It really is. It’s not gonna work out at all for him either.

He takes his phone along to keep himself distracted.

+

They’re about 3 drinks in when Cody starts recording Noel doing a shot of something that smells absolutely horrid. 

“That was gross,” Noel says bluntly, turning to him as he sinks back down onto his barstool. He looks really earnest, and Cody downs the rest of his beer so he doesn’t have to think about it.

The problem is he _does_ think about it as Noel orders something else, like he’s intent on trying everything on the menu. There was a moment of hesitation where he nearly stopped him, because alcohol poisoning and what not, but it’s one night. Nothing’s gonna go wrong.

+

Cody doesn’t mean to, but he laughs when Noel says something to him. He doesn’t quite catch it, because Noel’s not all that engrossed in annunciating his words anymore, but he assumes it’s a joke. 

He sets his phone down on the counter because there’s no way he’s not gonna drop it.

“Round of shots on me,” Noel offers, grabbing his arm. Cody makes a skeptical face at him.

“You’re gonna have to drag me back to the hotel room,” he says, partly joking. Partly.

“Even better.” Noel bumps him with his shoulder. “It’ll be fun, c’mon.”

Cody laughs, “Okay, okay, if you’ll stop nagging me.”

“I’m not nagging. I’m educating.”

“Bet you are.”

+

Cody doesn’t think he ever imagined himself trashed out of his fucking mind, lying next to Noel on a weeknight. And, like, he’s thinking about things he shouldn’t be while they talk about useless bullshit, useless on Cody’s part. Because Noel’s mostly just listening. But it’s still an experience, new, fresh, and unfamiliar.

Cody’s allergic to trying new things.

“What’re you thinking about?” He asks, and Noel turns his head to look at him. It’s only when they meet eyes that Cody realizes that they’re _way_ in each other’s space. He doesn’t move, mostly because his limbs feel immobile.

“Whatever you’re thinking about.” Noel’s eyes are sparkling, and he’s got the charm cranked up as high as it goes. Or maybe that’s just how he always is. Cody’s having trouble deciphering between both of them. 

“Huh.” He records the ceiling because there’s absolutely no breathing room between them. It makes for shitty footage, but Cody’s head isn’t making the connection. “You think loud.”

Noel laughs. He’s still looking at the side of his head, Cody can feel it — feel his _breath_. “You’re so fucking hammered.”

“That’s like the pot calling the kettle black,” he says, stretching his arms tiredly. 

“What did you say?” Cody’s not sure what that means either, but he heard his mom say it once. “You just went idiom on me.”

“I did not.”

“You so did,” he says, sounding accusatory. Noel’s words are completely slurred at this point, and Cody’s mind is working at 5 miles an hour. Everything’s in slow motion, and just a little too warm around the edges. _Noel’s_ warm. Cody cannot do that.

“Yeah, right,” he slurs, by means of explanation. 

+

The sound of hitting the red button on his phone to record is starting to give him a major headache.

Noel’s shirt is strewn across the floor again, which gets to Cody like nothing else will. As always. 

He complained about it being too cold, and then too hot, and he’s mumbling something right into Cody’s shoulder. It’s a lot to handle, and now Cody knows why he’s never gotten drunk with him before. 

Noel tugs at the hem of his shirt, and Cody’s not all that responsive anymore, so he reacts late. When he feels warm fingers brush his oblique. His breath gets stuck in his throat and he drops his phone on his face. Noel blinks at him, like he’s unsure of what’s even going on to begin with.

“You made me drop my phone,” Cody says, like Noel wasn’t just pulling at his shirt two seconds ago.

“Sorry, sorry, you looked hot so I just—“ He freezes. Cody feels himself stiffen up, too. “Hot like warm, I mean. Temperature wise,” he stutters out, going redder than he already was.

Cody bites at the inside of his lip. “Oh, yeah.” He lifts himself up and tugs off his shirt without a second thought, mostly just to avoid conversing about that anymore. 

That bites him in the ass faster than he thought it would, because the second he’s back against the bed, Noel’s bare chest is pressed tight to his arm. Which is — it’s a fucking lot, that’s for sure. And Cody feels his skin tingle, goose bumps and everything. He’s got this entire bundle of shit he doesn’t wanna deal with sitting in his lap, and his brain is spiraling towards _what if_ ’s and _maybe_ ’s, while Noel’s tranquil right beside him. 

He’s not gonna live this down. 

+

“Hey,” Noel says, swallowing. Cody looks at him before he can catch himself, and Noel’s still just as close as he’d always been. He isn’t sure why he’s surprised, but Cody’s heart is beating so hard it _hurts_. 

He wants to say things he just _can’t_ , and they’re harder than ever to keep down like this.

Noel just reaches right past him to flip his phone’s camera to front-facing. And Cody raises his arm slightly so the angle isn’t fucking atrocious. 

Noel smiles at it, clearly amused, and Cody watches him through the screen. He looks tired, and on the edge of passing out, but Noel still looks picture perfect. He’s so fucking photogenic it’s unreal.

“We look good,” Noel says, and he shifts onto his back. Cody wonders for a second if this means he’s finally free of having to deal with him pressed against him, but then Noel positions his head down against his shoulder. 

“Uhuh.” Cody breathes out slow when he feels Noel’s fingers skirt his torso again. That’s— that’s unfair. That shit is just cheating.

“Together,” Noel adds after a while. 

And Cody feels his face burn, trying to collect something to shoot back before he completely mortifies himself. Noel doesn’t act like he thinks much of it, lazily smiling at what looks like everything. 

Cody passes out while trying to think of a response.

+

Heres the thing: he never wanted things to click into place.

Because Cody knew, he fucking _knew_ he had feelings for Noel, but he could pretend to be blissfully unaware for as long as he had to, as long as it took to get back home and split. So he wouldn’t have to see Noel until the beginning of the next season.

It would be so easy — getting over the dumb shit he felt for him like that, because Cody wouldn’t have to interact with him, or see his face, or try not to think about it when he fell asleep in the bed right next to his. He’d be free to distract himself with other things, and everything would wear away like that.

But last night his brain caught up with him. And now he knows for sure, his heart brutally conspicuous to his head. 

Cody’s never done anything with a guy, except for the time he kissed this guy in his math class just because he _could_ , but that was different. He didn’t want a relationship with him. They were bored, and buzzed, and young, and things escalated. 

He doubts the guy even remembers, and Cody barely thinks about it too, but this is different. _Too_ different. New, new, new, territory.

He wants to be with Noel, and hold his hand, and get under the covers with him just to hold him close, to breathe him in and it’s. Just.

Cody wants to kiss him.

But there’s a difference between the things he wants and the things he actually does, and he’s not going to do that. That’s just the way it is, the way it’ll always be. Or else he’s gonna end up hurt, rejected, and broken. Nobody wants that.

“You okay?” Noel asks him, glancing over from the driver’s seat, and Cody realizes he’s got his phone pressed to his thigh.

If he saw Noel recording a black screen, he’d be pretty concerned too. 

“Uh, yeah,” he lies, a little too quickly. He’s not sure if Noel believes him. He’s not sure if he believes himself. “Hangover.” 

Noel tightens his fingers against the wheel for a beat. “Fuck, tell me about it. Still worth it, though, right?”

Cody gives him a half-hearted smile and stares down the window. “Right.” 

He plugs his phone into the aux and tries to focus on anything but Noel.

+

“There’s a town near here called _Oatmeal_ ,” Cody says, squinting at the directions he has pulled up on Noel’s phone. 

Noel sputters, glancing over at him in disbelief. “No way. You’re kidding.”

They pass another road work sign, they’ve been hitting a lot of those lately, which has been leaving way too much empty space between them while they’re stuck in traffic jams.

Traffic jams on the _highway_ , mind you. Cody’s completely new to the concept of that, and it sounds like treason. 

“I’m serious!” He holds the directions out, and Noel looks at them when they slow to the rolling stop behind another car. 

“Oatmeal,” he mouths to himself, looking like he’s been slapped across the face. “Why— why _oatmeal_?”

“Why not?” Cody shrugs, and slides Noel’s phone back into the cup holder. “I think it’s creative.”

“It’s stupid. Can you imagine living there?” 

Cody laughs, keeping eye contact with him through his phone screen. He’s not sure if he’s gonna be able to look Noel head-on for a while. It’s not a big deal. Except for the part where it is.

“Someone asks you where you’re from,” Noel goes on. “ _Oatmeal_.”

“There’s a place in Pennsylvania called Intercourse,” Cody says, sniggering behind his camera when Noel’s jaw drops.

“You’re lying.”

“No, no, dead-serious. Why would I lie about that?”

Noel raises both of his eyebrows at him, still looking unconvinced. “You’re totally taking advantage of my shitty geographical knowledge.”

Cody lifts a hand defensively, because the other one is still occupied by his phone. “I’m not, I swear. It’s called Intercourse, and we’re close to fucking Oatmeal.”

“I hate you.” He laughs, and he inches the truck forward just barely when the car in front of them moves. It has a license plate from Florida, which is pretty fucking cool.

“Nah, you don’t.”

“You’re right,” Noel says simply, smiling over at him. Cody can’t help but smile back and immediately look away. His heart strains in his chest.

That shouldn’t get to him like it does.

+

Cody wakes up with Noel looking down at him, a huge smile stretching his lips. His hair’s stupidly messy and his face is still a little creased from the pillow, but he looks _beautiful_. Cody spends so much time staring he doesn’t even process his own phone in Noel’s hand.

“Mornin’ sleepyhead,” Noel coos, sounding way too malicious for his tone of voice.

Cody grumbles fondly and swats his hand away. “Lemme—“ 

Noel watches him, curious, and then Cody grabs the wrist and pins him back down against the bed.

“Oh my god!” Noel chokes out between laughs, kicking at him. “You’re gonna make me drop your phone!”

“Payback,” Cody snaps back, and if they were on the ice, he’d give him a face wash, but all he can do here is wrestle against him while Noel tries to break free. With mostly one hand, too, so the odds are very much against him. 

“You smell like morning breath,” Noel whines. “I’m gonna _die_.”

“Should’ve thought this one over then, huh?” 

They fuck around for a bit, hurdling meaningless threats at each other while Noel’s grappling at him wherever he can reach, trying to shove him off. He pinches his hip and Cody’s too sensitive there not to let out an indignant squawk, only to tighten the grip he has on his shoulders. 

Cody eventually lets him go, when Noel’s panting like he’s just ran a 5k, and looking like he might kick him between the legs. 

“Go — fuck yourself,” Noel says, split between breaths.

Cody knows he’s going to look in the mirror later and see bruises tacked along his arms and stomach, imprints of Noel that he doesn’t want. “You started it.”

Noel reaches for his phone, it ended up somewhere across the bed mid-way through their scrap and Cody couldn’t even bother picking it back up. He grins, filming Cody flop back down. “You awake yet?

“More or less, yeah.”

+

Cody’s in the bathroom when he feels his throat click at the livid scratch mark across his arm. It’s bold enough that he can see it through his camera, standing out bright and red. Fucking— Noel gave that to him. And Cody knows it’s wrong, how it makes his nerves tingle with arousal, knowing that he’s been marked up. It’s not even that big of a deal, but Cody still finds himself helplessly staring, blowing out a slow breath.

He tries not to wonder if Noel had seen it too, if Noel knew what he was doing to Cody.

And it’s not — Cody isn’t getting off on that alone. Because the thoughts of having Noel underneath him, close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off of his body, that’s what sends a shiver of warmth down his spine.

Cody squeezes his eyes shut and presses his cheek to the cool bathroom wall. 

+

Noel spends five minutes trying to figure out how to pronounce Albuquerque once they pass a bright green road sign for it. 

Cody cackles until he’s wheezing for air and Noel slows the car down just to shove at him.

+

Everything’s a little hotter in August. Tacky, unbearable, and sunny — so sunny. Cody’s sweating under his ball cap, but he doesn’t trust his hair in desert weather, so he deals with it. 

The warmth still suffocates him, unforgiving fingers stealing the breath from his lungs, and Noel’s got the AC turned up, but stepping _outside_ the car is always going to be more of a nightmare than anything else.

“I’m gonna pass out,” Cody says, dizzy. He presses a hand to the window and retracts it when his fingertips start to burn. 

“I’ll handle this, go for it,” Noel encourages, sliding the gas nozzle into the truck’s tank opening. Cody — stares. For way too long. What the fuck.

He ends up ditching him for the mini mart and buys two ice cold water bottles, immediately pressing his own to the side of his neck.

The cashier gives him a knowing look and he sets his phone down while he’s paying, the camera still rolling. There’s probably an hour’s worth of footage of various ceilings alone, which isn’t exactly quality content, but he can make do.

“Catch!” Cody shouts, when he’s back outside, and Noel looks up just in time to keep his water bottle from crashing to the ground. “Quick hands.”

“Thanks,” Noel says automatically, immediately uncapping his bottle. Cody doesn’t advise him against chugging the entire thing on the spot, which he does, because he can’t even remember the last time either of them saw any water. 

He spends a lot of time getting distracted by the bobbing line of Noel’s throat, and maybe it’s delirium, maybe it’s dehydration, but arousal licks the edge of his thoughts just. Watching.

He’s probably having a heatstroke.

+

The sun’s barely dipped beneath the horizon once they finally roll up to their hotel near the GCNP, and Cody has never gotten out of a car as quickly as he does right there.

Bad idea, clearly, because he nearly falls flat on his face.

Noel pops the trunk while he’s laughing, sounding completely exhausted. It still sounds just like him, tired and worn out, yeah, but it’s the same laugh Cody’s learned to love. And he could listen to so much more of it. 

He musters up the strength to glare at him, and a small smile pulls on Noel’s lips while he slings a bag over his shoulder. “C’mon, try not to crack your skull in half while we get up to our room.” Which is nothing but unreasonably helpful advice at this point.

Cody shuts the trunk and scoffs once he’s got his duffle out. “I could run a marathon, I feel _great_.”

“Yeah? Think you wanna check out the Grand Canyon tonight, then?” Noel rocks back and forth on his heels, and Cody tilts his head. Because he’s not gonna force him to give up a few extra hours of sleep just to trek out there, but. 

“You said it’s nice at night didn’t you?” Noel asks, forking his fingers through his hair. 

“You sure you don’t wanna sleep?” Cody only says it because he’s taken a couple naps in the passenger seat himself, but Noel’s been the one driving for the most part. He’d feel bad.

Noel waves a hand at him. “C’mon, I wanna see this with you. _Today_.”

“You mean tonight?”

He rolls his eyes. “I mean tonight.”

If Cody gets up to their room faster than he ever has, neither of them say anything.

+

“You ready to be mesmerized?” He asks later, kicking a pebble. The trail into the park is nice, with crickets chirping relentlessly. Of course he’d expected the air to chill a little, but there’s still a desert heat choking him that really doesn’t seem to be giving up. He scuffs his heel against the path and watches dust fly up

“Are _you_ ready?” Noel retorts, like its a challenge.

Cody wants to tell him he has been, always has, but he swallows it down. Their fingers catch, and he says, “Maybe.” Because that might just be the most prepared he’ll ever be. For any of this.

+

The sight of a sky warped by what looks like millions of stars is something Cody doesn’t think he’s ever going to forget, especially with Noel right by his side, staring up at the milky speckles twisting and dancing in so many patterns he can barely keep up. It’s something out of a dream, even before he can curl his fingers around the railing. 

And then he’s looking at _miles_ of strong walls carved by nature, dipping low enough that Cody’s supposed to believe there’s something more than sheer darkness and amber-gold rocks at the bottom. He thinks his breath slows at some point, just watching, staring.

He’s got his phone on, without the flash, so it doesn’t pick up much more than blurs of light, but Cody’s impressed anyways.

They’re in a sea of desert and he’s with _Noel_. That’s something euphoric on it’s own, and Cody’s not sure if he trusts his own vision, his own _thoughts_ , at this point.

Noel turns to him after a while, with the entire world glinting off his eyes. “You were right,” he says, his voice lowered like anyone could hear them. But they’re on a practically empty platform. Alone together.

Cody cuts off the recording to breathe it all in.

+

Noel has his phone again, just because he insists Cody’s not doing the scenery any justice with his awful camera skills. Which is probably Cody’s cue to say _what skills?_ because he’ll always be the first one in line for self-deprecating humour if things ever come to that. 

Despite everything, Noel ends up shoving the phone back in his hoodie pocket because the breeze is a little more than chilly now, and Cody practically tears it way from him. 

“Cody,” Noel says slowly, leaning more against him than the actual railing. It feels nice enough that Cody takes his chances and wraps an arm around him.

He inhales. Exhales. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for this,” Noel says, keeping in close. “For bringing me out here. This is probably the best summer I’ve had in awhile.”

“Are we gonna be cheesy now?” He’s joking, so he refrains from mentioning the way his heart gallops into his throat. Or his blush — he never touches that.

“I’m just saying,” he says, his voice light. “I’ve liked this a lot.”

_Yeah? Well, I like you_ , is what Cody wants to say and— fuck it. It’s what he _says_. Before he can go in and bite it back, while he’s still got the confidence that settles on him beneath the moon’s light.

And Noel doesn’t even stiffen, stays in close, wrapping his fingers around the wrist dangling over his shoulder. He looks up at him, calm and collected, and Cody wishes that’s how he felt on the inside. It would be so easy, to bridge the gap between them right there.

“Okay,” Noel says. “Okay— I. Yeah.” He pauses again, and then, “You wanna head back?”

Cody nods.

+

The walk back in silence, and Cody doesn’t bother to film any of it, but he switches his phone on once they get to their room, just to film Noel flinging himself onto the bed, but. That never happens.

Instead, Noel shuts the door behind them and stays there, pressed to it like he’s been tied down. 

Cody’s fearing for his life at this point, and he’s trying not to panic, but he’s never seen that blank look on Noel’s face. There’s a lot on his chest, and the silence isn’t helping. “Hey, what’s—“

“Wait,” he interjects, and Cody’s not sure what he’s waiting for, but he might be willing to wait forever. If it’s for Noel, he’s got the patience of a saint. After a beat, he moves forward, gets a hand right on Cody’s shoulder. He’s gonna combust. “You said— did you mean that? Like, in that way?”

“Yeah,” he answers, trying to keep his breath from going lacklustre. Being this close to him doesn’t help at all. Not like he wasn’t expecting it to, but if life went easy on him just once it’d be a little helpful.

Noel looks down, down at the phone and then back up at Cody. “Alright,” he whispers, and slides his hand to his cheek. “If this is okay.”

“It’s okay,” Cody promises, and he can feel his lips aching, his eyes dipping down to stare at Noel’s mouth just to see the way he forms his words. He tries not to sway forward, tries to mold this into exactly what Noel wants, but he might go crazy waiting. 

And then— Noel’s so gentle about it, when he leans in, when he _kisses_ him, and Cody tries to reciprocate that, like he hasn’t thought about this every time Noel so much as looked at him. But there’s a heat in his stomach that pushes him further, enough to get a hand on Noel, to tentatively touch his waist and hold him closer.

Cody kisses like he’s been starved for it, he _has_ been, but it’s still patient, like he’s only just testing the waters when he knows this is exactly what he needs. It doesn’t take much longer for him to get so hooked up into everything that his mind goes blank, and he knows nothing but _Noel, Noel, Noel_. 

He wants to touch more, wants to get his hands on Noel, because he’s greedy. If he wants this to himself, it’s what he’s going to do, so he ends up discarding his phone on the bed, push-pulling him down against the covers.

His mouth feels tingly and good, and all the lines all blur together again.

+

Cody indulges in Noel like he’d indulge in anything else, keeps things slow and sweet, doesn’t rush anything. As much as he wants all of him, he’ll settle to press kisses down his bare stomach, smoothing his fingers over Noel’s chest, and arms, and hips. They’ve already been here for so long, and Cody’s willing to take as much time as they have. Because he wants this, yearns for it.

And when he tilts his head up, Noel’s recording him, with a loose quirk in his lips and a warm hand on the back of his neck. 

Cody doesn’t protest, because he likes to put on a show. He gets to put his mouth on Noel’s hipbone and listen to the quiet noises he makes. Gets to scrape his teeth across the skin on his torso and toy with him. Gets to settle between his legs and listen to the whispered _fuck_ above him when he touches his lips to the front of his boxers. And it’s good — it’s so good.

“Cody,” Noel says, sucking in a slow breath, and when he shifts the mattress creaks dangerously underneath them. “We can’t— not here.”

“Please,” he begs, because he needs this, and he’s got Noel right under his fingers, right here. He can _feel_ him. And he wants more. He just doesn’t know how to keep away.

“The walls might be thin.” Noel gnaws on his lip, looking down at him with big eyes. 

Cody leans in close, his breath fanning out across where he’s got his hand pressed to Noel’s boxers. “We’ll be okay,” he insists, because he just wants to make Noel feel good. Just wants him close. “I’ve been thinking about this for so long, please. Let me.” He watches Noel flush, hanging a smile from his lips.

And once he gets the go-ahead, it’s just a matter of time before he’s got his mouth pressed to the tip of his dick, hearing Noel curse something hushed enough to stay between them. It burns into his ears, white and hot.

Cody glances up at Noel while he sucks him off, pulling more pleasure than he probably should from watching him throw his head back. He’s making these little sounds that don’t seem to stay down no matter how hard Noel tries, and Cody revels in them, uncaring if anyone ends up hearing. 

As much as he wants a hand in his hair to navigate him along, pull him off and thrust him back down, he’s perfectly content working Noel like this. Thumbing at the underside of his dick, and keeping a firm hand on his thigh, and lapping right below the head until he has Noel panting.

Noel’s hips are trembling underneath him, and Cody wonders how hard he’s trying to keep from bucking up into his mouth, and he thinks maybe. Maybe he’d want that. To choke on Noel’s dick, get a little sloppy, but he pushes it aside for later. Because Noel’s so fucking _nice_ , he knows he’s going to wait, knows it’ll take time.

Eventually Noel says something along the lines of, “Cody, gonna— _fuck_.” 

And he knows what he means, because he’s not an idiot, but he’s still a little surprised when he feels come leak down the back of his throat, different in a way he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to. It’s salty and gross, but Cody sucks him one more time, until Noel makes a wounded noise.

Cody wets his lips, because he knows people like that, and watches Noel put his phone down against the bed. When he gets pulled back up, he goes along easier than he’d expect. 

Cody realizes he likes kissing Noel, likes it _a lot_. And then there’s a hand snaking its way down his stomach, pulling him out of his boxers. He’s shaky for all of it by then, turning their quick kisses into long sucking ones, pressing into Noel and opening up like it’s second nature.

It doesn’t take long for him to get off. He’s been working himself up for as long as he can remember, and he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back if he tried, rolling his hips against Noel’s hand and panting into his mouth.

Noel doesn’t even have to try, and he still takes Cody apart like that, breaking their kisses to nose at the skin on his neck, biting him gingerly. It’s barely a scratch of his teeth, but Cody find himself clinging to him, whimpering for more. It might be the hand working him that makes him delirious, but Noel’s always has that sort of effect of him.

When he finally comes, it’s with a muffled shout, and he makes a mess out of both of them. But Noel doesn’t seem to mind, sighing pleasantly. 

They stay close, even if it’s a little hot, holding each other like they don’t know how to let go, and Cody’s not sure if he even wants to. He doesn’t care about anything but Noel, and in that moment, it’s what he gets.

+

He stirs when Noel mumbles something incoherent and reaches past him. 

They’re still close and there’s enough light seeping in past the curtains for Cody to know it’s morning. It’s like, for the first time in a long time, he’s not frustrated woburn being up this early. Because he’s exactly where he wants to be. 

When he cracks his eyes open, Noel’s on his phone. He aches too much to stop him, and he’s not even sure how, because they’re tangled together and Cody might lose some warmth. 

“Hey,” Noel says, and nudges their noses together. Cody’s got enough energy to smile and watch when Noel thumbs his phone into the camera app. 

“What’re you up to?”

“Stuff,” Noel answers. Expected. “Things.”

Cody laughs and looks up at the screen, caught completely off guard when Noel presses a kiss to his lips. 

He hears the shutter go off.


End file.
